Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has experience/or spent time in either Leuven or Mechelen in Belgium? My wife and I are planning to spend 4 nights in Belgium in July next year and we have already spent time in Bruges and Brussels. We will be doing day trips to Ghent and Antwerp so we wanted to stay somewhere kind of central. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Brett
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Danville, VT
12040 posts
Leuven is a university town, first and foremost. There aren't really any world-beating sites here (except perhaps the late Gothic Stadthuis), but it's a pleasant place to walk around. If you want to see how Flemish college students socialize, sit at a table at one of the cafes on the Oude Markt. A little ways outside of town, there's a lake (Zoute Water) surrounded by several restaurants. If you want to get out of the city, this is a very nice place to spend an evening. I have less experience in Mechelen. It strikes me as a typical Flemish city with a disproportionately large cathedral. Ghent and Antwerp are easy to reach from both Leuven and Mechelen.